Improvement to instrumentation

ABSTRACT

Methods and multi-component displays for displaying graphical objects are disclosed. A method includes displaying a graphical object on a first display screen of the multi-component display. In response to an event, the graphical object is displayed on a second display screen of the multi-component display, wherein the first and second display screens overlap, and wherein the displaying the graphical object on the second display screen is operable to provide a visual indication of the event. Another method includes displaying a first graphical object on a first display screen of the multi-component display and displaying a second graphical object on a second display screen of the multi-component display. In response to an overlap of the first and second graphical objects, the overlapping portion of the first and second graphical objects is displayed with a visual attribute distinct from respective visual attributes of the first and second graphical objects.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/489,101, filed Sep. 21, 2004, naming Gabriel D. Engel as the inventor, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and having attorney docket number PURE-P019, which claims the benefit of PCT International Application Number PCT/NZ02/00175, filed Sep. 11, 2002, which claims the benefit of New Zealand Patent Application Number 514119, filed Sep. 11, 2001. Each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional instrumentation systems (e.g., used by pilots, military personnel, drivers, navigators, air traffic control etc.) often include single-layer or single focal plane display screens with large displayable areas. The screens display objects of many different sizes, shapes, patterns, etc. For example, a pilot's instrumentation screen may include landmarks, other planes, etc., while a military instrumentation screen may include landmarks, friendly objects, enemy objects, etc. Additionally, the objects on the instrumentation screen may move to indicate movement of physical objects associated with the displayed objects.

Since the displayable area of conventional instrumentation screens is large, and the objects displayed on the screens are often small and numerous, critical or alarm situations are hard to detect on conventional instrumentation systems. For example, a military user may miss or overlook a situation where an enemy missile has been launched which endangers friendly forces since the user is preoccupied with another portion of the display screen (e.g., termed a “distractor”). Accordingly, conventional instrumentation systems provide poor preattentive awareness of certain situations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of displaying information on an instrument for viewing by a user including: a) displaying information on a first focal plane; b) moving the information displayed on the first focal plane to a different focal plane when an alarm or critical situation arises; c) then moving the information back to the first focal plane; and d) repeating steps b) and c) in order that the viewer of the instrument becomes aware of the displayed information.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an instrument for displaying information for viewing by a user, including a visual display system including at least two single level screens spaced physically apart to form a multi-level screen, and information on a first focal plane characterized in that when an alarm or critical situation arises the information displayed on the first focal plane moves to a different focal plane and then back to the first focal plane in order that the viewer of the instrument may become aware of the displayed information.

It should be understood that within the present specification the term “information” may consist of alpha-numeric characters, symbols, plain text, images, a combination of the same or any other visual representation of information.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention the information will be displayed on a multi-level three-dimensional display device such as that disclosed in New Zealand Patent Number 505800.

However this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as in other embodiments the information may be displayed on any display device that has more than one focal plane.

It is envisaged that within preferred embodiments of the present invention a control circuit will have access to a number of system parameter. When a parameter goes beyond its specified level then the control circuit will signal to the display so that the appropriate information displayed on the first focal plane moves to another focal plane and then back to the first focal plane so that the viewer may become aware of the displayed information and can therefore can take steps to rectify the situation.

Preferably the movement of the information between focal planes is done a number of times-sufficient for the viewer to become aware of the displayed information.

It should be understood that throughout the present description the term “alarm or critical situation” should be understood to mean when a system parameter is exceeded or an external influence has to be taken account of. For example, in a military situation this could be the proximity of another object such as a plane, missile, etc., or it can even be the receiving of a signal such as a radar-lock from a missile.

Information may be moved from one focal plane to another to provide preattentive awareness of certain situations. In this manner, moving information from one focal plane to another may be a very fast and effective method for inducing preattentive awareness. In other embodiments, other techniques of making a viewer preattentively aware may be used.

One advantage of this technique is that the viewer need only have the information in their peripheral vision for the technique to be effective. This fact alone improves the reaction time to an alarm as when preattentive techniques are not used then the viewer generally needs to focus on the alarm information in order to comprehend its relevance or meaning.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method of displaying information for viewing by a user, including at least two focal planes and a control system, the method including: a) displaying primary information in a distinct color or pattern on a first focal plane; b) displaying secondary information in a distinct color or pattern on at least a second focal plane; and c) when the primary and secondary information overlap or come into a proximity that is commensurate with an alarm situation the displayed information will change color or pattern so that the viewer will become aware of this information.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an instrument for displaying information for viewing by a user, including a visual display system including at least two single level screens spaced physically apart to form a multi-level screen, and primary information displayed in a distinct color or pattern on the first focal plane of the instrument, and secondary information displayed in a distinct color or pattern on at least the second focal plane of the instrument, characterized in that when the primary and secondary information overlap or come into a proximity that is commensurate with an alarm situation the displayed information will change color or pattern so that the viewer will become aware of this information.

It should be further understood that within the present specification the terms “primary information” and “secondary information” are not intended to infer or suggest any hierarchical relationship or degree of relative importance between the primary and secondary information. In general the terms are used to disseminate between information on different focal planes within the display.

The term pattern is intended to mean a distinct configuration. For example, a first pattern may be a series of horizontal lines within the second pattern vertical lines.

The resultant new pattern formed by an overlap may be hatched grid indicating an alarm situation.

Preferably the information is represented by color.

Due to the fact that the primary information and the secondary information are displayed on separate focal planes within the screen the area of overlap will automatically be a combination of the two colors, e.g., the color of the primary information and the color of the secondary information.

This means that no special control or software will be necessary to change the color of the overlapped area as the image on the second focal plane can clearly be seen through the first focal plane as this is a transparent plane and therefore when the secondary information passes behind part or all of the primary information the color of the image seen by the viewer will change accordingly.

It is understood that in preferred embodiments of the present invention the color of the primary information and the color of the secondary information will be quite distinct so as to form a new distinct color when they are combined by an overlap of the information e.g.: if the primary information was yellow and the secondary information was blue then the overlapped area would clearly be green, this is an easily disseminatable color from either yellow or blue and would therefore be easily and quickly recognized by the viewer.

In some embodiments of the present specification the instrument will be capable of using both of the described methods for displaying information, however this should not be seen to be a limitation on the present invention in any way as in other preferred embodiments only one of the methods will be able to be displayed on the instrument.

When an alarm or critical situation is detected by the circuits to which the instrument is connected, the circuit will instruct the instrument to display the information as described, in order that the viewer of the instrument will be able to preattentively assimilate that an alarm or critical condition has been detected.

An advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that by using the preattentive trigger described within this specification rather than just a flashing of the information (or a separate lamp) the viewer of the information will be able to assimilate the information or the condition more rapidly, which will in turn provide the viewer with a greater time in which to react to the situation.

It is accepted that with a lot of instruments the time in which the viewer will need to react to the information being displayed will be sufficient for most normal methods of relating the alarm situation to the viewer.

However, particularly for military and avionic applications the time in which a decision has to be reached, or remedial action needs to be initiated, can be incredibly short and any improvement to the viewer's reaction time or ability to assimilate the information more readily and rapidly will provide a distinct and possibly life-saving advantage.

Embodiments of the present invention may have many distinct and substantial advantages over any method available before. As stated previously, one of these is that due to the faster perception time to an alarm situation the remedial action can be initiated more rapidly which in turn will substantially increase the chance of the remedial action being successful.

Another advantage is that in applications that currently use the separate alarm panel, by using the instruments disclosed within the present specification these panels will become obsolete therefore freeing up space in what is generally a confined environment.

A further advantage in these applications is that the viewer will have less areas in which to scan for relevant information and will therefore have lower fatigue levels than would presently be encountered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a dual screen display in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows a display of exemplary first and second patterns in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows a display of an exemplary new pattern formed by an overlapping of the exemplary first and second patterns in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1 there is shown an instrument containing a multi focal plane display generally indicated by arrow 1.

The instrument for displaying information or instrument display 1 consists of a background screen (2) in a parallel orientation with, but spaced apart from, a foreground screen (3).

In FIG. 1 both screens (2,3) are transparent liquid crystal displays (LCD) panels, although the invention is not necessarily limited to the use of these displays.

A back light (4) is located behind the background screen (2) to provide illumination for the entire instrument display (1).

Each of the screens (2,3) are capable of displaying either primary (5) or secondary (6) information.

FIG. 1 shows the primary information (5) is displayed on the foreground screen (3) and secondary information (6) is displayed on the background screen (2).

It should be appreciated however that the reverse situation is equally feasible with the primary information (5) being displayed on the background screen (2) and the secondary information (6) being displayed on the foreground screen (3).

It should also be appreciated that in a lot of applications only one piece of information (5,6) will be shown on the instrument display (1). This information (5, 6) can be on either the background screen (2) or the foreground screen (3).

When the displayed information (5,6) reaches a critical parameter or “alert level” the information will oscillate between the background screen (2) and the foreground screen (3) in order that the viewer will become preattentively aware that a critical situation is developing or has developed already.

In applications where both primary information (5) and secondary information (6) are present on the instrument display (1) either of the two methods of preattentiveness may be used.

For example:

-   -   a) When the primary information (5) and the secondary         information (6) overlap or come into a proximity that is         commensurate with an alarm situation the displayed information         (5,6) will change color so that the viewer will be aware of this         information. Due to the transparency of the focal planes within         the display, when the primary information (5) and the secondary         information (6) overlap the combination of their colors will be         displayed.     -    As discussed previously if the colors of the primary         information (5) and the secondary information (6) are chosen         carefully then the color of the overlapped information (5,6)         would be obviously different to the viewer. The example         mentioned earlier was if the primary information (5) was yellow         and the secondary information (6) was blue then the color of the         overlap (5,6) would be green. FIGS. 2A and 2B show an embodiment         in which the primary and secondary information (5,6) are         displayed in first and second patterns, respectively, where an         overlap of the first and second patterns (e.g., as shown in FIG.         2B) forms new pattern (7).     -   b) If either the primary (5) or secondary (6) information         reaches a critical or alarm level then the appropriate         information (5,6) will oscillate between the background screen         (2) and the foreground screen (3) thereby making the viewer         preattentively aware of the situation.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A method of displaying information on a multi-component display, said method comprising: displaying a graphical object on a first display screen of said multi-component display; and in response to an event, displaying said graphical object on a second display screen of said multi-component display, wherein said first and second display screens overlap, and wherein said displaying said graphical object on said second display screen is operable to provide a visual indication of said event.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: discontinuing said display of said graphical object on said first display screen while said graphical object is displayed on said second display screen.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: re-displaying said graphical object on said first display screen while discontinuing display of said graphical object on said second display screen; re-displaying said graphical object on said second display screen while discontinuing display of said graphical object on said first display screen; and repeating said re-displaying of said graphical object on said first and second display screens at least one time.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of an alarm and a critical situation.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is associated with said graphical object.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying said graphical object on said first and second display screens comprises displaying said graphical object on said first and second display screens of an instrumentation system, wherein said instrumentation system comprises said multi-component display, wherein said method further comprises detecting said event, and wherein said detecting said event further comprises: monitoring at least one parameter of said instrumentation system; determining if said at least one parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold; and identifying said event in response to said determining.
 7. A multi-component display comprising: a first display screen for displaying a graphical object; and a second display screen for displaying said graphical object in response to an event, wherein said first and second display screens overlap, and wherein said second display screen is further operable to display said graphical object to provide a visual indication of said event.
 8. The multi-component display of claim 7, wherein said first display screen is further operable to discontinue said display of said graphical object while said graphical object is displayed on said second display screen.
 9. The multi-component display of claim 7, wherein said first display screen is further operable to re-display said graphical object while said display of said graphical object on said second display screen is discontinued, wherein said second display screen is further operable to re-display said graphical object while said display of said graphical object on said first display screen is discontinued, and wherein said first and second display screens are further operable to repeatedly re-display said graphical object at least one time.
 10. The multi-component display of claim 7, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of an alarm and a critical situation.
 11. The multi-component display of claim 7, wherein said event is associated with said graphical object.
 12. The multi-component display of claim 7, wherein said first and second display screens comprise display screens of an instrumentation system, and wherein said event comprises a parameter of said instrumentation system exceeding a predetermined threshold.
 13. A method of displaying information on a multi-component display, said method comprising: displaying a first graphical object on a first display screen of said multi-component display; and displaying a second graphical object on a second display screen of said multi-component display, wherein said first and second display screens overlap; and in response to an overlap of said first and second graphical objects, displaying said overlapping portion of said first and second graphical objects with a visual attribute distinct from respective visual attributes of said first and second graphical objects.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said visual attribute comprises a color distinct from respective colors of said first and second graphical objects.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein said visual attribute comprises a pattern distinct from respective patterns of said first and second graphical objects.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein said overlap of said first and second graphical objects is associated with an event, and wherein said visual attribute of said overlapping portion is operable to provide a visual indication of said event.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of an alarm and a critical situation.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said event is associated with a graphical object selected from a group consisting of said first graphical object and said second graphical object.
 19. A multi-component display comprising: a first display screen for displaying a first graphical object; a second display screen for displaying a second graphical object, wherein said first and second display screens overlap; and wherein said first and second display screens are further operable to display said first and second graphical objects in an overlapped arrangement, and wherein said first and second display screens are further operable to display an overlapping portion of said first and second graphical objects with a visual attribute distinct from respective visual attributes of said first and second graphical objects.
 20. The multi-component display of claim 19, wherein said visual attribute comprises a color distinct from respective colors of said first and second graphical objects.
 21. The multi-component display of claim 19, wherein said visual attribute comprises a pattern distinct from respective patterns of said first and second graphical objects.
 22. The multi-component display of claim 19, wherein an overlap of said first and second graphical objects is associated with an event, and wherein said visual attribute of said overlapping portion is operable to provide a visual indication of said event.
 23. The multi-component display of claim 22, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of an alarm and a critical situation.
 24. The multi-component display of claim 22, wherein said event is associated with a graphical object selected from a group consisting of said first graphical object and said second graphical object. 